Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-02-10
THE LEGISLATURE ADJouRNs
For q Recess Until February l6-News
Gathered in and About the Capitol.
LANSING, Feb. z, 1887.

Just before the adJournment OF tne leBis-
lature for the "long vacation" the COVER
nor noted his approval Of the bills TO pun
ish intoxicate persons, the bill relative to
often .es against property, appropriating
IS 700 for the state weather service. and q
grist of bills of incorporation and OF prt-
vate nature.
In reference TO the bill proposing to
equalize soldiers bounties the quarter
master generals office furnishes the fol-
lowing figures: From the records in the
Office Il is ascertained that up to October.
1863, a total of S,1ll men had been paid
state bounty of $50 each, the aggregate
amount being s405,550 Up TO October,
1864, there were 5,S24 men paid bounty
of 800 each, aggregating S5s2, 400. From
that date up to October, 1865 when boun-
ties ceased, 4645 men were paid $3.50 each,
aggregating $685. $50. The state paid these
men in bounties total OF 81 ,6S4,1OO. lt Is
/ now urged that those who received no
state bounty should be placed on the same
footing as those who enlisted later and
! did not serve SO long. Michigan furnished
10000 men, and according to the above
! figures 7l.420 of them received no state
! bounty. To give each one OF these $3.50, the
highest state bounty received by any one,
would require sl0,Tl5,0OO. To further
equalize IL, the Sill men who were paid
| $50 bounty should have an additional 500,
and this awarded would take ssh 100. To
give the 1884 who received 500 an addi-
! tional $50 requires 1921 200 making total
/ of Sll, s15,3OO.
To equalize the bounties at 800 each
would require the following sums: 7l,420
men at 500, and s, Ill at $50 each, making
total of $7,547,55O
Both houses adjourned at II O'Clock and
at oclock upwards of 100 members, some
of them accompanied by their wives, took
a special train on the Michigan Central
railroad aud departed for Jackson. All OF
the state institutions are TO be visited and
carefully inspected and on the 18th the leg
islature again con venes.
A bill is being prepared, and will soon be
introduced, to reorganiZe the judicial
circuits of the state and reduce
them in number to %; and an
other bills in course of preparation
TO enforce the constitutional provision
that ''no person holding any office under
the United States Tor this state) or any
county office, except notaries public, Off
GERS OF the militia, and officers elected by
townships shall be eligible to have any
seat in either house Of the legislature, and
all votes given for any such person shall
/ be void"
Among the bills passed by the house are
many of a local character; and to provide
for the adoption and change of name of
minors and for making them heirs
of their adopted PARENTS: to provide Tor
the change of name of adults; to amend
the act relative to the registration of vot-
ers; to enable associations of persons to
become body corporate, to raise funds
to be loaned only among the members of
/ the association; to amend an act relative
TO the organization Of the military forces
OF the state.
A joint resolution has been introduced
in the senate proposing an amendment TO
the constitution providing for the election
of senator's for a term OF four years, and
recurring that but sixteen Of these be
| elected at every alternate election of a
state legislature. The resolution seems to
! conflict with section one OF article four of
the constitution, and has been referred to
the judiciary committee.
Senator Monroe has in preparation bill
to give to women qualified as citizens the
right to vote at township, village or city
The measure is advocated by the
woman's suffrage association OF the state.
The association is now engaged In organ.
izing In all the cities and villages of Michi-
gan, and some formidable petitions are
expected
The house committee on military affairs
has made favorable report upon meas
ure which, should il become law, will be
the largest expenditure the state has ever
3
paying bounty to the amount of almost
Sl5,OOO,OOO. Under the present law no SOL
der enlisting prior to March q, 1863 is en-
titled to bounty. After that date the al
Iowances are as follows:
March TO Nov. 10, '63 ................ 80
Nov. IL, '63, to Feb. 4, '64............. 80
Feb. TO May IA, Observation-Disclosures. 100
Feb. TO April IA, '65. Observation-Disclosures. $50
This omits soldiers enlisting in '61, '62,
part of '63 and '64, and after April IA, '65.
M taly .all . no. nj tha
bounty goes to the widow or orphans in
Gus OF the soldiers death. The state will
be required TO pay $ll, sis, 800 according TO
figures compiled by the quartermaster-
general These show that the state fur
nlshed 10000 men through the war. Under
the old bounty law, only 1850 men have
received bounty, leaving 7l,420 who will
be affected by the new law. Allowing the
necessary reductions for bounty previous
ly received the total sum required under
the new law reaches nearly $l5000,000.
No such stupendous expenditure has
ever before been attempted by the state.
Tax levy is usually about l,5C0 900 per
annum, or so cents per capita. The pas
sage OF the bounty law would jump the
levy to about $4,000, goo and run the per
capita tax up to Sc, or IL times what it has
ever been before.
/ The bill providing for the establishment
of a home for feeble-minded children was
introduced by Mr. Croker the other day.
The oh ect of the home is set forth in the
bill as follows:
THE object of the institution shall be to
provide by all proper and feasible means
the intellectual moral and physical culture
OF that unfortunate portion OF the COM
munity who have been born or by disease
may become imbecile or feeble minded,
and by judicious and well adopted
course of instruction and training, to
ameliorate their condition. and to develop
as much as possible their intellectual
faculties, to reclaim them from their un-
happy position and fit them as far as pos.
sible, for future usefulness in society"
The he bill calls for an appropriation OF
$4,000 this year and of $4,000 in 1883.
Trustees are to provide a temporary home
and select permanent site, to be report
ed to the next legislature. 1t should re-
ceive the hearty support OF every men,
Der.
The house has passed the bill to abolish
the superior court of Detroit and an eff
fort was made tn have the bill considered
In the upper house before the recess, but
the attempt was failure.
w. A. Baker of Berrien county Is credit
ed with doing some very skillful engineer
ing. He introduced in the house joint
resolution requesting congress to remove
the arrears OF pensions limit, and to pen
sion soldiers and sailors over 62 years Of
age etc, at about ii O'Clock In the fore
noon. Before z O'Clock in the afternoon
the resolution had been passed by both
houses, engrossed and enrolled, and signed
by the governor. Thirteen official copies
OF the resolution were at once sent to
Washington.
Represe NATIVE Ashton introduced bill
the other day asking for an appropriation
for building four colony homes for chronic
insane and contiguous cottage for resi-
dent physician at the Michigan ASYLUM